Minister for Education Naeem Akhtar today reviewed the preparedness and progress for establishment of the Cluster University in Jammu. Setting up of Cluster Universities in Srinagar and Jammu will not only augment the existing higher education facilities in the State, but help diversification of the academics with introduction of latest job-intensive courses at the graduate and post-graduate levels. Akhtar said the two Cluster Universities are being established in the State under centrally-sponsored Rashtriya Ucchtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) to run series of additional and novel courses in the existing city colleges, with one of the Colleges each in Srinagar and Jammu acting as the lead college. He said a grant of Rs 55 crore each has been provided under RUSA for …

In order to facilitate easy payment of electricity bills, Khidmat Centres in the State would be designated as nodal points for collection. The facility would be started in Baramulla and Kathua districts on pilot basis. This was decided at a high level meeting convened here today under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh. Minister for Finance, Labour & Employment, Dr Haseeb A Drabu and Minister for Information Technology and Technical Education, Moulvi Imran Ansari were also present. Principal Secretary, PDD Mr Sandeep Nayak, Commissioner-Secretary, Finance, Mr Naveen Choudhary, Secretary IT, Hridesh Kumar, Development Commissioner Power, Mr Asgar Ali, Chief Engineers of PDD and senior officers were also present in the meeting. It was decided in the meeting …

AIIMS Coordination Committee (ACC), which has been spearheading ongoing movement for the setting up of AIIMS in Jammu, Friday discussed threadbare the situation arising out in the wake of the failure of the BJP to deliver its promise within the agreed upon period and resolved that the entire Jammu region will observe complete three day shut down between July 31 and August 2. ACC also decided to organize a massive Lalkar (protest) rally in the capital city on Saturday morning (July 25) and will be followed by a candle light protest march before July 30 (Thursday). Addressing the members of ACC, Chairman and President of the JKHCBA, Jammu, Abhinav Sharma, said the twenty six MLAs from BJP and the ministers …

The Central Government will soon announce a financial package for Jammu and Kashmir, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said today. “A (financial) package will be announced for the state of Jammu and Kashmir soon. This package would surpass all other packages announced by the previous governments for the state,” Mr Singh told reporters in Jammu today. “This package has been formulated after removing all errors. A Central team had come here in this regard some time back. We also met the central leadership in this regard,” he added. “The package will be announced soon along with that of the AIIMS and the package amount has been decided,” he said. The package will fully cover all the three regions of the …

On Friday morning when Prime Minister Narendra Modi would arrive here to attend birth centenary of Girdhari Lal Dogra a distraught family in Pargwal area of Akhnoor would be eagerly awaiting to hear whether or not Prime Minister would announce promised sum of compensation acknowledging the sacrifice of their lone bread earner. It is for last more than 29 months poor kin of Chamel Singh, murdered inside Pak jail on January 15, 2013 are awaiting compensation from the state govt and Govt of India. In the run up to the Lok Sabha polls Narendra Modi had raised the issue of torture meted to Chamel Singh and had accused the UPA govt led by Dr Manmohan Singh of remaining a mute …

Defence PRO, Jammu Lt Col Manish Mehta is working over time from behind the curtains even while he is officially on leave till July 12, 2015. But his over enthusiasm saturday created piquant situation after his office released a press note informing the media that on Friday when IAF rescued BSF persons from one of their border outposts in Ramgarh sector of Samba aviation unit of the Indian army also participated in the operation along with IAF. Ironically, it took more than 24 hours for the office of Defence PRO to woke up from its deep slumber to give due credit to the role of the aviation wing of the Indian army. Interestingly, on Friday when Lt Col Manish Mehta …

Afforestation drives to take people on board; eco-tourism, propagation of aromatic, medicinal plants to be thrust areas Forest Dept to fully meet timber needs of people living in concessional zones Taking first big step towards revisiting the State’s Forest Policy so that it is in tune with the concerns and expectations of all stakeholders, Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, today unveiled a new blueprint to conserve State’s depleting forest wealth by encouraging people’s participation in afforestation drives, identifying eco-tourist destinations and commercial propagation of highly-remunerative medicinal plants. He also directed the Forest Department to fully meet the timber requirement of those persons who live in concessional zones in close proximity of forests. “I want people’s active and voluntary participation in …

If there is an issue which brings with itself historical differences, extreme passions, deep seated distrust, interference both internal and external, a tortured past and a hazy troubled future, it is that of Jammu Kashmir. Those who truly love the State above every existing conditioning of opinion and expected alignments depending on region and faith, put in effort everyday sifting through the news and the depressing discourse to look for a story which brings the gift of good tied up with a big and bold satin bow of hope. Though spotting the good maybe as hard as finding the proverbial needle in the haystack and may involve the back breaking work of picking through a mountain load of hay, but …

A BJP MLA in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday demanded that the Centre adopt a “proactive policy” and allow the army to carry out a Myanmar-type operation against the terrorist training camps across the LoC. “In the recent days, there have been inputs by the Army Intelligence, RAW and other intelligence agencies that the militants, who earlier were being trained by the ISI and the Pakistani Army, are now being trained by members of terror outfits like the Islamic State,” Ravinder Raina, the BJP MLA from Sunderbani, told PTI. “The Islamic State has already entered the training camps in PoK as they have made a major base in neighbouring Afghanistan” and its members are training the militants in the PoK …

Mufti says District Development Boards are mini-legislatures; Vows to strengthen them Describing District Development Boards (DDBs) as mini-legislatures and institutions of inclusivity, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said the decisions taken in the District Development Board meetings shall have to be implemented in letter and spirit. “District Development Boards are the institutions of empowerment for the legislators. This well-established institutional mechanism makes them part of the implementation process at the ground level. I will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the credibility and authority of the institution DDB is restored fully,” Sayeed said while chairing the District Development Board meetings of Jammu and Reasi districts here today. The Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Kumar Singh, who is also …